UPDATE: This story has been updated to say House Bill 5089 is sponsored by Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck.

LANSING, MI — A pair of bills aiming to target people who buy ingredients for methamphetamine cooks was approved Thursday by the Michigan House of Representatives.

These meth suppliers, known as "smurfs," purchase small amounts of pseudoephedrine and sell them to meth producers. Smurfing is on the rise since a law took effect in Michigan last year that limits the amount of pseuoephedrine products, such as Sudafed, that people can buy and requires purchasers to enter their names into a law enforcement database.

House Bills 5089 and 5090, introduced last October by state Reps. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck; and Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, respectively, would make it illegal to purchase pseudoephedrine knowing it will be used to manufacture meth, punishable by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

"Meth is a devastating drug that destroys families and friendships, and we have to do everything we can to help put a stop to its production," Nesbitt said. "Meth has spread through many of our communitiesin epidemic proportions, and is one of the most addicting drugs out there. These bills will have a serious impact on our battle against its production and use."

The bills come after a 2013 Kalamazoo Gazette investigation that found pseudoephedrine sales in Southwest Michigan remain high despite the law that caps the amount of the product people can buy.